Sense of Smell
by whoeverIamloves
Summary: Drabbles related to Kiba's strong sense of smell, and all the little advantages and awkward moments that go with it.
1. Chapter 1

This is something that popped into my head as I was reading several fics that mention how Kiba knows when it's that time of month for Hinata because they're on the same team. Everybody seems to reference and accept the fact, but I have yet to see any fics about the fact itself. So, here it is, even if it's more of a drabble (or short series of drabbles) than a fic.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"Kiba-kun!"

"Huh?" He turned and looked to see his female teammate jogging up the road toward him, a basket of herbs hanging from her wrist. He and Akamaru paused and waited for her to catch up before continuing on their walk.

"What are you doing this afternoon?"

"I…uh…training, I guess. Why?"

She smiled at him.

"I'm going down to the lake later to swim and I thought maybe you and Akamaru and Shino might like to come. I'm bringing a picnic." Her voice was hopeful.

Kiba considered it for a moment. It would be a good opportunity for him to talk to her…he took a deep breath, and then his expression turned from contemplative to panicked.

"Kiba-kun?"

"Um, sorry Hinata, I don't think I'll be able to come."

A hurt expression overtook her face.

"…oh. Okay."

"No, it's not, I mean, I'd like to, but…" He blushed a little.

"Hmm?"

"I can't today. I mean, some other time, okay?"

"Oh. Um, I guess that's okay."

He sighed. They'd been on the same team with her for a month now, and the three of them and their Sensei were still adjusting to each other. He'd meant to avoid this particular conversation as long as possible, but…he might as well get it over with so that he could escape from the smell that was bothering him. And, hopefully, spare the girl's feelings a little about why he couldn't come today.

"Sorry Hinata. It's just…I don't think you know what you do to me."

"Wha…huh?"

Kiba blushed and scratched the back of his head. Akamaru meandered a few feet away, sniffing the base of a shrub.

"Hinata, um, well, you know…" He looked around desperately for a way to escape before he had to explain it, but he came up empty.

"What is it?"

"Well, see, you know how I have this super sense of smell?"

Hinata turned bright red, and Kiba was almost certain that she'd understood his meaning. He drew in a deep breath, preparing to sigh in relief that it had gone easier than he'd anticipated.

"D-do I stink?!" She clamped her arms down to her sides, afraid that there was an odor emanating from underneath that was giving her teammate's sensitive nose some trouble.

Kiba's sigh of relief died instantly and he visibly sagged. He shook his head slowly.

"No, that's not it."

"But…what then, Kiba-kun?"

He looked around one last time in the hopes that he might find a way to avoid having this extremely awkward conversation, because his mom had made it clear over breakfast that he was not to come home until he'd explained his abilities –and all that came with them- to his female teammate. But maybe he could put it off another few hours, anyway.

And as if hearing his mother order him to explain his primal urges to a teammate wasn't bad enough, it only made things worse that he knew there was no escaping this. She did need to know, after all, and for that matter so did Kurenai-sensei. But Sensei was a jonin, so she had probably already figured it out.

Which left Kiba with the task of informing Hinata about parts of himself he wished he could will away.

Just as he was about to break down and spill everything in one superbly rushed sentence, a ray of hope blasted onto the scene in the form of Kurenai-sensei strolling through the market a little ways away. His face lit up.

"Um, Hinata, I'll, uh, tell you later. I'll see you at training tomorrow! Bye!"

He turned and bolted down the street toward the market, leaving a very bewildered Huuga heir in his wake.

When he skidded to a halt in front of Kurenai-sensei, he noticed that she was walking with a rather large and scary-looking man with a beard and a cigarette. At least he was smiling, though, and it might explain why she often smelled like smoke.

Kiba didn't bother with a greeting; he was panting too hard.

"Uh, Kurenai-sensei, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Concern and curiosity flickered across her pretty red eyes and she glanced up at her companion.

"Sure. What's up?"

Kiba glanced at her intimidating companion, who was looking amused around his cigarette.

"Um…alone?"

Kurenai turned to the larger shinobi.

"I'll be right back." She started walking toward a slightly less crowded spot a few yards away, gesturing for Kiba to follow. He obeyed, and when they were out of hearing distance of anybody familiar, she turned to face him and waited.

He considered how to start, because he had been too nervous about telling Hinata to try to figure out a way to talk to Sensei, but he finally decided he might as well just jump in and get the awkwardness over with.

"So, um…"

"Come on, Kiba. It's okay. What's wrong?"

"Are you friends with my mom or sister?"

Kurenai's eyebrows arched slightly.

"I know who they are, but I've never really talked to either of them much. Why?"

"Well…my mom's gonna kill me tonight."

Kurenai smiled.

"Now why would she do that?"

Kiba scuffed his shoe in the dirt, staring intently at it like it was creating a work of art as he mumbled.

"Because she told me I had to explain something to Hinata that I have no idea how to explain to her."

"To Hinata?"

"Yeah."

There were a few seconds of awkward silence, and it was Kurenai who finally broke it.

"Well, what are you supposed to explain?"

Kiba felt his cheeks warm up a little.

"Um…well, see…you know how…my sense of smell is a lot stronger than most people's?"

"Of course."

He scuffed and lowered his voice a little more.

"My mom is making me explain to Hinata…exactly…_how_ good my sense of smell is."

Kurenai frowned.

"I'm not sure I follow."

His blush intensified.

"That I can smell…you know…_girl stuff._"

Realization dawned on Kurenai-sensei, and Kiba wished the ground would swallow him up. There was a soft smile in her voice when she spoke again.

"I see. That's nothing to be ashamed of, Kiba. Every ability has its down side, and that just happens to be yours."

"I know," he mumbled. He wished the other half of his confession would just go away, but he knew it wouldn't so he stayed put.

"But…why is your mom making you tell Hinata?"

He turned bright red, and he knew there was nothing he could do to hide his fierce blush from his sensei any more than he could avoid answering the question. He mumbled something, and Kurenai frowned.

"What was that? You're going to have to speak up a little."

"I said, because it's not just _that_ smell!"

The kunoichi's eyebrow quirked upward, not quite understanding his meaning.

"What…other smells?"

"Well…um…see…I don't really know how to explain it…"

"It's okay. Just try."

"Well, when…" he trailed off and ventured a glance up at her, finding her smiling patiently down at him. He swallowed before he continued. "Please don't get offended by this, Sensei, but it's the only way I know to explain." She nodded, and he returned his attention to his feet. "It's kind of the same thing as when one of the girl dogs is in heat."

Kurenai was quiet for a moment as she puzzled over her student's explanation.

"You mean, you smell it when a woman is most fertile?"

He nodded dejectedly, still bright red.

"And your mom wanted you to explain it to Hinata because…?"

He looked up at her with 'duh' written all over his tomato-colored face, mortified that she was going to make him say it. Fortunately, his expression must have said it for him because Kurenai's eyes widened.

"Oh. Right. Distraction."

He gave a tiny nod, and then there was another tense pause.

"Is that going to be a problem for you, being on a team with two females?"

He shook his head and mumbled again, and Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"What did you say?"

"I said no, it's just…I don't want to make anything awkward for anybody else, or get…_distracted_ in the middle of a mission or training or something."

"Well, then how can we avoid that?"

"I'm learning to ignore it, but…" He paused and Kurenai smiled amusedly at the top of his shaggy head. "…mom said that until I learn to completely control it, I should ask you and Hinata-especially Hinata-to keep your distance…around…uh…then."

"Why especially Hinata?"

Kiba hadn't thought it was possible for his face to burn any hotter, but it did. He was sure that his skin matched the triangles on his cheeks.

"Hinata just smells really, uh, strongly. Because, well…you know…she's just now…not like, uh, you…and like this morning, when she asked me and Shino to go swimming with her…"

Kurenai nodded slowly.

"Because her body is just now…changing?"

He nodded again at the ground.

"That's fair enough, but what about on missions? Sometimes distance is a hard thing to accomplish."

If Kiba could have died of embarrassment right then, he would have preferred to do so. Instead he just nodded again.

"I know. I'll get better at controlling my, uh, 'reactions and impulses' over the next few years, Mom says, but until I…um…until I'm good at it, I just need to be upwind…you know…if I have to be close to either of you."

"I see. I think we can manage that."

"It's not all the time, you know. It's just…uh…"

Kurenai smiled fondly down at her floundering student.

"Just twice a month?"

He glanced up at her. The blush was beginning to fade some of its intensity, but it wouldn't be disappearing completely for an hour or two.

"Well, actually, just once. I can smell the…um…the gross one, but it doesn't bother me like…well, you know…like the _other_ one."

Kurenai's red eyes sparkled in amusement, but she kept from laughing at his discomfort.

"I see." She reached a hand out to ruffle his hair fondly. "Don't worry, Kiba. Your mom was right to have you explain it."

The Inuzuka boy looked like he might die on the spot, apparently not agreeing.

"It doesn't weird you out? I mean, knowing that…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the statement.

Kurenai crouched down to one knee to meet him at his eye level, then continued.

"No, it doesn't weird me out. This is part of being a team. We all have to get used to each other's strengths and weaknesses, and help each other. Your sense of smell is a great asset, and we'll do everything we can to help you. There's nothing awkward about it. Okay?"

He nodded timidly.

"Uh, Kurenai-sensei, can I ask you one more mondo-huge favor?"

"What's that?"

He shifted his gaze around uncomfortably.

"I don't think I can tell Hinata, and my mom will kill me if I don't talk to her about it by tonight."

Kurenai grinned and stood up, smoothing out her red and white dress as she did so.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her."

Kiba's eyes widened hopefully.

"You will?"

She nodded.

"Sure. I think it might embarrass her as much as it embarrasses you, so we won't talk about this anymore unless it gets to be a problem, okay?"

Kiba grinned at the kunoichi.

"You're the best, Kurenai-sensei!" Then he was off and running, with Akamaru mysteriously materializing at his heels as the duo got lost in the crowd.

She walked back over to Asuma, chuckling slightly at her student's awkwardness.

"What was that about?"

"Just some team stuff."

"Oh?"

She nodded and scanned the crowd. After a moment, a flash of white caught her eye. She looked up at Asuma.

"Can I catch up with you in a little while? I need to go catch Hinata before she wanders off."

"Sure. Not gonna tell me what that was about?"

She smiled.

"Maybe later. Right now I need to go."

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Kiba, you're late."

"Sorry, Sensei."

The other three members of Kiba's team had already gathered on the training grounds when Kiba and Akamaru ran up to meet them.

He hadn't seen any of them since the previous day, so he had been late on purpose to make sure he didn't have to spend any time alone with Hinata before Shino and Kurenai-sensei arrived.

There was a momentary pause as Kurenai seemed to be waiting for an explanation for his tardiness, but he just grinned up at her with an expression that said he had no excuse or wasn't going to tell her what it was. At least things were normal between them, it seemed. He looked at his two classmates.

Shino didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, or if he did, he wasn't letting on. Hinata, though, was staring intently at a stick on the ground looking a little embarrassed.

"Morning, Hinata." She glanced up at him and blushed, and he gave her a crooked smile to let her know that he wasn't mad at her or anything like that. She tentatively smiled back.

"Good morning."

Kurenai cleared her throat.

"Today, instead of working on group forms like we planned, I think we're going to do a little sparring. Shino and Kiba will work together, and Hinata will be with me. Is everyone clear?"

Three responses of 'hai' echoed through the training field, one energetic, one apathetic, and one shy. Akamaru yapped.

"Good. Later this afternoon, we'll do some conditioning. Let's get going."

With that, the pairs moved off in opposite directions, with Kiba leading Shino upwind from the two kunoichi.

* * *

So...what did you think? Should I continue to explore this?


	2. First Time, In The Line of Duty

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Also, this drabble is supposed to be about a year an a half into the time skip. I'm going to pretend (I know it may or may not quite fit with cannon) that Kiba, Hinata, and Shino are about sixteen in this. Or make up your own age for them; I don't really care.

* * *

"Get in, plant the devices, and get out. That's all we have to do." Kurenai tapped the diagram of the building they were supposed to be rigging, spread out on the upper branch of a massive tree.

The security in the building wasn't too tight, but it was tight enough to warrant making a plan. That's why Kurenai and her team of chuunins were currently crouched in the upper branches overlooking one of Fire Country's 'wooded mountain resorts'. They were supposed to be stealthily planting listening devices in one particular room where an ambassador from the Wave Country was scheduled to stay for several nights within the next couple of weeks.

"What about the guard?" Kiba asked.

"We could simply eliminate him without a trace."

"Her."

"What, Hinata?"

"The guard…she's a girl."

"Really?"

"Hai. And she looks a few years older than us."

Kurenai acknowledged Hinata's observation with a nod, then spoke to Shino.

"We cannot 'simply eliminate' her. You know there's no reason for such extremes unless something goes terribly wrong." She glanced pointedly at each of her team. "Which it will not, right?"

"Right."

"So, let's hear some ideas."

Hinata suggested genjutsu.

"That could work. What about interior security? And how do we get access to the room quickly and easily without breaking the door?" Nobody had any answers for these questions, and the four sat in silence for a moment as Kurenai waited for one of her students to come up with a plan instead of doing it for them.

Just when she was about to give in and make a suggestion, Kiba cleared his throat.

"The guard- is she shinobi?"

Hinata shook her head. "Her chakra system didn't seem developed at all."

He nodded slowly. "I want to go check something."

"Oh?"

"What is it, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba shifted uncomfortably in his familiar crouch on the branch.

"I'd rather not say just yet."

Kurenai's eyebrows lifted, but she nodded. "Be careful and don't get seen."

"I know."

Then he disappeared down to one of the lower branches, then dropped to the ground. The remaining three members of his team watched him talk with Akamaru for a few seconds.

"Hinata, can you see anything he might be checking?"

The Huuga girl quietly activated her byakugan and scanned the area for anything interesting. After a few seconds, she let her eyes return to normal. She shrugged and shook her head, and then Kiba quickly rejoined his team. He didn't say anything immediately, so Kurenai spoke instead.

"So? What was that about?"

"I…um, I have an idea."

"Well, what is it?"

Kiba glanced around, avoiding his teammates' eyes. "Well, there's something about the guard. I think I can get in alone."

"Bad idea, Kiba."

"Sensei, please! Just let me try once. If I can go talk to her-"

Shino interrupted him.

"This is to be a stealth mission. Speaking to a guard would defeat the purpose."

"I'll tell her I'm a hiker!" He locked eyes with Kurenai. "Just give me a chance."

Realization dawned in Kurenai's red eyes, but she didn't say anything and Shino and Hinata didn't seem to notice. Slowly, she nodded.

"Alright Kiba. One chance. Leave your forehead protector and kunai pouches here and tell her you're a hiker passing through."

"Awesome! I won't let you guys down!" He started to untie his forehead protector.

Kiba smiled and waved at the pretty girl on guard duty as he and Akamaru drew closer. The girl looked around to make sure he was waving at her, then waved back tentatively.

"Remember, be friendly and pretend you're not a nindog."

Akamaru whined his agreement, and then the two were within earshot.

"Oi there!"

From up in the treetops, Kurenai, Hinata, and Shino watched as Kiba and Akamaru closed the distance. Kiba had taken off his shirt and was simply carrying it in his hand, and it looked wet.

When Kiba and Akamaru got close enough to the guard, the two humans exchanged a few pleasantries. The guard gestured to Akamaru and seemed to ask a question, because Kiba nodded and she knelt to pet the large puppy.

Kiba and the guard chatted pleasantly for a few minutes, and Kurenai noticed that he was using every opportunity to flex and show off his shinobi physique. She smiled to herself, especially when Hinata said with a slight blush that the girl was definitely noticing Kiba's body.

After a couple of minutes of idle chatter, Kiba moved a little closer to her. He stayed relaxed and non-threatening, and the girl seemed receptive. She turned her attention from dog to master.

Hinata blushed a couple of times when Kiba really turned on the charm. He would lean in and say something, then stay close. The guard would giggle and flirt back. After a few minutes, he brushed her face with his fingers, and after doing that a couple of times, he kissed her.

They stood flirting and getting to know each other for a few more minutes before Hinata saw things get a little more serious.

"There are…_rooms_ here, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…" The girl glanced around, looking anywhere but Kiba's face. Unfortunately for her that didn't rule out his body, and he grinned when her eyes landed on his chest and slowly drifted downward. He shifted a little bit closer to her, and she swallowed.

"But what?"

"Well, my post! I'm on duty!"

"Akamaru is a good guard dog. Aren't you, boy?"

Akamaru barked and wagged his tail, then sat down all rigid and as soldier-like as a dog could be. She laughed.

"And besides, most of the rooms are occupied right now."

"Oh." His shoulders dropped a little in disappointment for a second, then an idea seemed to hit him. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "What about…there's an executive suite or something here, right?"

"Yeah?"

He looked at her meaningfully. "Well, haven't you ever wanted to…you know…in the executive suite?"

She blushed. "It's totally against regulations!"

He grinned. "Makes it that much more fun."

She caught her lower lip between her teeth, and he felt his chest tighten. Just because this was a mission didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it, and he felt his southern thinking apparatus agree.

He leaned in so close that there was about an inch of space between his body and hers, and the smell of her arousal was turning him on. She seemed to be having trouble thinking clearly at the moment, and that suited Kiba's purposes perfectly.

After a few more seconds of indecision, she finally made up her mind. She grabbed Kiba's hand and swiped her security card, then pulled him into the building.

Once in the suite, the girl seemed a little unsure of how to proceed so Kiba gladly took the lead. He ignored his nervous racing pulse and swept her up in an aggressive kiss, and his hands were all over her almost immediately. The girl was already putty in his hands when he toppled them onto the bed and began to undress her, and she returned the favor by fumbling for his belt.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata's hand flew to her mouth, and her pale eyes widened. A deep blush spread across her cheeks.

Shino raised an eyebrow, and Kurenai's eyes widened like Hinata's. She hadn't expected him to actually…but, well, if it got the mission accomplished and wasn't against the girl's will, then so be it.

Her students were certainly growing up.

* * *

"Wanna go again?" The blonde purred into Kiba's shoulder. He glanced down at her in surprise. Sure, it had been a quickie, but…_damn_ he must have been good. And he still had a mission to think about.

"Yeah, but what about your post?"

She gasped and sat up. "You're right! I do need to get back." She closed her eyes and looked away from him, drawing her arm across her bare chest. "You probably think I'm a real slut, don't you?"

_Well, yeah._

"Nah. I bet you don't give in to every pretty face that comes along." He winked at her, and she cracked a smile. "I bet it's just been a really long time. Everybody needs a little something now and then."

She nodded slowly. "So…will I see you again?"

He almost coughed, but managed to keep his exterior appearance calm and collected. He sat up before answering. "I don't know. I come through here now and then on hikes, so…maybe."

"I work on Tuesdays and Fridays."

He grinned. "I'll keep that in mind. But right now you should be getting back."

"What about you? Didn't you say you had some friends to meet up with later?"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah…but I kind of have a habit of being late anyway. Will it be bad if we're seen leaving this room together?"

Her eyes widened. _Apparently she hadn't thought of that._ She nodded.

"I tell you what then. You head back to your post, and I'll clean everything up in here and come out in ten or fifteen minutes." She looked a little uncertain, and he swept his arm across the room with a cocky grin. "We kinda messed things up, you know?" Her eyes followed his gesture, taking in the one overturned chair, the one messed up towel, and the rumpled bed they were sitting on. She blushed and nodded, then got up to get her clothes.

She left a moment later, and Kiba got up and got dressed too. He quickly straightened the room, then dug the listening devices out of his pocket and started planting them and flipping them on.

* * *

Kiba emerged from the building forty minutes after he'd entered it, and Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him come out. She saw him nod to the girl, and the girl blushed and said something back. Then he headed off with Akamaru in the opposite direction they had come from. Once out of sight of the building, they doubled back and Kiba rejoined his team in the treetops. For a moment, nobody said anything.

"So…umm…mission accomplished."

Kurenai nodded. "Good work, Kiba." Hinata blushed and played with her fingers. Kurenai spoke again after a few tense seconds with the hint of a teasing smile in her voice. "I didn't realize you had any training at seducing women."

This time it was Kiba's turn to blush. "I…uh, I don't. Didn't, I mean."

Two pairs of eyebrows shot up, and one more eyebrow twitched.

"Oh?"

"Well, you know how I can smell things?"

"…go on."

"It was really faint, so I had to double check with Akamaru, but I could smell…well, she was…umm…"

Kurenai almost laughed at her student's embarrassment over explaining what he had just done. "She was what, Kiba?" she prodded.

"She was _horny_, dammit!"

* * *

So, what do you think? I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with the flow, but I wanted to get it up so that i can get the next drabble or two up sometime in the near future.


	3. As a Team

This one is set around the time Naruto would have been getting ready to return. I think.

* * *

"Kiba, how does it look from your position?"

He shifted on his tree branch, craning his neck to get a better look at the outpost below. The four of them had it surrounded, and he was the one positioned closest to the main gate on the east side. Akamaru was several meters below on the ground, out of the range of any stealthy communication.

"Hard to say. There's three shinobi guarding the entrance…but…I think there are two more in the alcove hiding the door. Hinata?"

"Hai. Five total in front of the door, and none directly in the hallway."

Kurenai's voice came over the radio.

"Do we know anything about any of them? Any weaknesses?"

"My bugs haven't found anything useful."

"Me either. One looks a little low on chakra, but not low enough to help us."

Kiba sniffed the air, but didn't answer for a moment.

"Kiba?"

"Right. Sorry. I think…Uh, Hinata, what's your position?"

"Thirty meters north of you."

"Kurenai-sensei?"

"Fifty meters to your west. Did you find something?"

"Maybe, but the wind's shifted. I need you to move south."

There was a momentary pause.

"Alright. I'm moved."

He took a good long whiff of the air, evaluating every scent carefully before he spoke.

"I was wrong. I've got nothing, except that one of the guards could seriously use a bath and another wears too much perfume."

He could almost visualize Kurenai-sensei rolling her eyes at him, but he wasn't bothered by it. He silently dropped to the ground beside Akamaru to whisper something in his ear, and the dog trotted off to the southwest as Kiba quickly worked his way back to his position.

"Alright. We'll move in five, four, three, two, one!"

All four shinobi plus Akamaru materialized suddenly in an arc around the door, and Shino's bugs and Kurenai's genjutsu quickly worked to disorient the five guards. Hinata and Kiba quickly took down three with shiruken, and one of the remaining two was trying to fight the large white ninja-dog.

All of a sudden, Akamaru barked a sharp warning to Kiba. He snapped his head around in time to see that one of the remaining two guards had escaped from Kurenai's genjutsu and thrown a handful of kunai at her from behind while a shadow clone pretended to still be caught in her illusion. In a flash Kiba drew a handful of kunai and knocked the enemy weapons out of the air, as well as one extra weapon which struck the offending enemy in the side of the head.

Kurenai turned just in time to see the ninja fall to the ground, and Akamaru quickly incapacitated the last guard.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

She looked at him quizzically for a second, unsure why there was a certain flatness to his voice, but dismissed it until after the mission. For now, the team headed stealthily into the compound.

* * *

"Sensei, could I talk to you for a minute?"

They had just blown up the enemy compound and were walking back to Konoha. Hinata and Shino were a few meters ahead.

"Sure. What's up?"

Kiba slowed his pace a little, and Kurenai followed suit. Once Hinata and Shino were out of earshot, he spoke in a low voice.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"What? I'm fine. Why?"

He glanced at her briefly and shook his head.

"I don't think you should go on missions with us for a while."

She frowned.

"Kiba, what's this about? Is it that guard that snuck up on me earlier?"

"That's part of it."

She sighed.

"He was good enough to trick me. That happens, you know. It's why we operate in groups instead of individually."

He nodded.

"I know. But there's more."

"Well?"

"Something I noticed earlier. Akamaru noticed it too." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "…when's the last time you had a check-up?"

She raised one eyebrow, not sure whether to answer the question or be offended by the personal nature of it. For the moment, she seemed to put off the judgment.

"Get to the point already. What are you trying to say?"

"I just think you should go get checked out as soon as we get back."

She rolled her eyes and shifted her pack.

"What makes you think something's wrong with me?"

Kiba blushed a little.

"Your smell's changed."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You smell different. It's subtle, but…I'm not generally wrong about these things, and Akamaru's never wrong."

"_What_ things, Kiba?"

He stopped and turned to face her, and she followed suit with an exasperated look on her face and her hands on her hips.

"You really want me to tell you?"

"Yes!"

"You're pregnant."

Her jaw dropped a little.

"What?"

He turned to continue following their teammates, blushing a little harder now.

"You're…you know…pregnant. Like, with a baby."

"I know what the word means. What makes you think I'm…it?"

"I told you, your smell changed."

She actually blushed for once.

"But I don't think that's possible. How could you know…?"

"Sensitive nose, remember?"

She nodded.

"It's your chemicals. I recognize the smell, and so does Akamaru."

Her hand drifted to her flat stomach as they walked.

"…oh."

They continued for a moment in silence as Kurenai absorbed this new information. Eventually Kiba spoke.

"I won't tell anyone. I'm used to knowing things I'm not supposed to."

She nodded absently.

"So…when did you…how long…"

"How long have I known?"

"Yeah."

"Remember when I asked you to move south?"

"That long?"

"Yeah."

Her eyes widened.

"So, when you countered the kunai I didn't see…"

He nodded.

"Yeah. I knew it then. That's why I had Akamaru watching your back as much as mine."

Her face paled a little when she realized how close she'd come to losing what she didn't even know she had.

"Kiba…"

"Hm?"

"…Thanks."

He quirked a smile at her.

"No problem. Just…I don't think you should come on missions with us for a while."

She nodded slowly.

"I think you may be right. I'll talk to Tsunade-sama when we get back. You know, just to…"

"Double check?"

"Yeah. No offense."

"None taken."

They walked for a few more minutes, with Kurenai lost in thought and Kiba enjoying the sounds and smells of the woods around them.

"You haven't asked who the father is."

He looked over at her and noticed a nervous twinkle in her pretty red eyes. He raised one eyebrow.

"You think I can't smell him on you?"

He thought he saw Kurenai-sensei blush out of the corner of his eye.

"I guess I hoped you couldn't. Do…did you tell them?" She gestured to Shino and Hinata several yards ahead, and Kiba shook his head.

"It's nobody's business but yours. I just happened to be the first to know."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're a good kid, Kiba."

He grinned.

"Only when it counts."

She looked at him sharply.

"And what does that mean?"

He gave her the most innocent puppy eyes he could muster.

"Nothing. Not a thing."

She gave him the Sensei Look, and he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, just…it's not like I'm planning any pranks with Naruto or anything." His eyes sparkled mischievously.

For a moment, she looked like she was about to scold him, but then she just shook her head and laughed lightly.

"Of course you're not. It's just going to happen mysteriously, isn't it?"

Akamaru sauntered back over to him, and Kiba jumped on his back with a boyish grin.

"It might. Of course, that's only if I knew what 'it' was."

"Oh, get out of here." Her eyes were still laughing at him, and he gave a salute so rigid it was goofy as Akamaru bounded off with him.

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There's one more chapter left in this. Leave me a review? Pretty please? With Kiba on top?


	4. Thirteen Years Later

I want to say a really big "Thanks" for all your reviews! They really help inspire me to write more. I liked some of the suggestions I got for this drabble collection, and eventually I'd like to explore some of them. I'm going to label this as 'complete', but if you've liked it so far, keep it on your alert list for later!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Thirteen Years Later

"I have a mission today!"

"Way to go, kiddo."

The girl's red eyes narrowed.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Kiba-sensei."

The triangle-cheeked jonin ruffled the girl's black hair despite her scowl, and Kurenai laughed. She'd never remarried after Asuma's death, and had raised their daughter on her own with much help from her friends and her team.

"No, sweetheart, you're not. Remember, don't be late or Hinata-sensei will come looking for you."

The new genin grinned.

"I know."

Kurenai pinned her with a Look.

"I have a mission today too, and it's probably going to be an overnight mission. I want you to come straight home when you get back, and Shikamaru's going to come over after supper to stay here tonight. No friends while I'm gone, clear?"

The younger kunoichi rolled her eyes and Kiba suppressed a smirk.

"You're clear, mom. No wild parties. I know."

"Good. Now I've got to get going, or I'll be late. Kiba, thanks for breakfast!" She kissed her daughter on her forehead protector and sprinted out the door, calling a 'be careful on your mission' behind her.

Kiba turned to the girl. He'd had some time to kill before a meeting, so he had decided to stop by with breakfast for his former teacher and her daughter. It was a common practice that he, Shino, Hinata, and Shikamaru had started when Kurenai was in the last stages of her pregnancy, and they had just never stopped.

"So…what friends was your mom talking about?"

The girl stiffened only slightly for a fraction of a second as she set to gathering her pack behind her. Akamaru lifted his head curiously from his comfy position lying on the living room rug, whining a question to Kiba. He just smirked back at the dog and gave a slight nod when the girl's back was turned.

"Oh, just my team. Sometimes they come over after training or a successful mission."

"Oh, I see."

The girl smiled giddily. Apparently she was very fond of her teammates, and more than a little excited to be going on a mission with them. Typical fresh genin. Kiba smiled.

"Yeah. They're like the only people I hang out with, and I don't even care that they're both boys. One's too quiet and the other's too loud sometimes, but they're both cool, you know?"

Kiba nodded, but the girl was rambling to the air more than she was talking to him. She seemed to have said all she wanted to say, so Kiba walked up behind her.

"So which one of them brought the smokes last night?"

She jumped, not having realized that he was standing right behind her. He noticed that her adrenaline spiked, but she played it off coolly. She was a good actress; he had to give her that.

"What do you mean, Kiba-san?"

"You smell like smoke."

She lifted one eyebrow in a 'duh' sort of expression, so that anyone who couldn't smell her panic would have been fooled.

"Of course I smell like smoke. I trained with Uncle Shikamaru yesterday."

Kiba grinned and leaned down near her ear, inhaling as he did so to remind her who she was talking to.

"I know you did, but that's not Shikamaru's brand I smell in your hair."

Her eyes widened and she knew she'd been caught. Kiba straightened back up. She turned back to packing.

"I can't get away with anything," she muttered. "Sometimes it's like I have way too many parents. And they're all weird. And jonin."

Kiba grinned ruefully. "Sorry kiddo. You just got lucky like that."

She shot him a nervous glance that was supposed to look casual as she hoisted her large pack onto her small shoulders.

"So…what are you gonna do about it?"

He shrugged and started toward the door. Akamaru pulled himself off the floor and followed suit.

"This time? I think I'll trade teams with Hinata in a day or two and take you and your team on a survival and conditioning camping trip."

He saw her shoulders sag in relief, and he opened the front door for her.

"But the next time I smell cigarette smoke on you- or anything else you shouldn't be doing, for that matter," he leaned down slightly as she passed under his arm, "I'm telling your mom. _And_ Shikamaru."

She looked up at him with her big red eyes.

"You…"

He nodded and closed the door behind the three of them.

"Yeah, I will. Because I care."

She scowled but didn't say anything else as the two exited the building.

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Yay for sappy sweet. :) Like I said, That's all for now, but hopefully I'll eventually add another drabble or two that should fit sometime around the first or second installment. :)

Reviews?


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